Lisbon: Teixeira da Cruz destroys Currency management

The Plataforma Lisboa was presented this Thursday to respond to what they consider to be the degradation of public spaces in the capital, with an alleged increase in insecurity, unhealthiness, degradation and loss of character of the city. The collective brings together more than a dozen and a half associations and citizens' movements and is headed by the social democrat Paula Teixeira da Cruz, who did not hold back on the adjectives to describe a terrifying scenario in the city that has been managed for four years by Carlos Moedas.

“There is no longer a neighborhood that does not have problems, whether with noise, health or traffic,” Paula Teixeira da Cruz told Correio da Manhã , refusing, however, to respond to her assessment of Moedas’ mandate.

“This issue is anything but partisan. It is a problem of fundamental rights. I have become accustomed to seeing the PSD as a space of freedom,” he simply told the newspaper.

Speaking to Time Out , the lawyer, who is the representative of Plataforma Lisboa, also spoke out loud about the state she believes the city is in. “Lisbon is now a huge open bar, where people consume alcohol and drugs, with streets turned into public toilets”, making it clear that this group will serve to force local authorities to assume their responsibilities.

“We will engage in dialogue with municipal bodies and the central administration. In fact, many of the associations present here have already submitted proposals and we will continue on this path, but we will not wait too long. We have a clearly defined agenda and we will deal with this in a very professional and objective manner. Public administration bodies are obliged to exercise their powers”, stated Teixeira da Cruz, quoted by that body.

Plataforma Lisboa brings together movements such as Aqui Mora Gente, founded to demand the rights of the inhabitants of Cais do Sodré in the face of pressure from nightlife in that area of ​​the city, but also Fórum Cidadania Lx, which deals mainly with issues related to heritage and public space.

Paulo Ferrero, from Fórum Cidadania Lx, describes a dirty and graffiti-filled city, with “dry lakes on Avenida da Liberdade” and illegal street vending where the minimum distance that must be left between a terrace and the end of the pedestrian path is not respected, leaving space for pedestrians to walk. “Only with more pressure on the responsible entities will we perhaps be able to change something”, says Ferrero.

Alexandra Leitão promises to end the botellón

The criticism launched by Plataforma Lisboa served as a reason for Alexandra Leitão to announce to Expresso that she intends to restrict botellón on the city's streets, if she succeeds Carlos Moedas.

“If I become Mayor of Lisbon, we will prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption in public spaces after a certain time, and strictly regulate and monitor nightlife in the city,” promises the socialist candidate.

Alexandra Leitão also joins the chorus of protests from Plataforma Lisboa, accusing Carlos Moedas of not solving the city's problems.

“There is a lot of talk about security, but no action is taken. The number of Municipal Police officers is at its lowest level in recent years (412), the LED lights promised in the election campaign do not exist and four years later, 64 of the 216 video surveillance cameras that the previous executive left licensed have been installed”, accused Alexandra Leitão in statements to the weekly newspaper.